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Barcelona has taken a commanding lead in their round of 16 tie against Arsenal, with a 2-nil win at Emirates Stadium in London.
After entering the main break with scores locked at nil-all, Lionel Messi stepped up and give his side the lead, after being left unmarked in the middle of the field on a streaking counterattack in the 71st minute.
An 83rd-minute penalty, also off the boot of Messi, sealed the visitors’ 2-nil win.
Arsenal enter Game 2 of the tie at Camp Nou on March 17 needing to catch up two away goals to be any chance of securing a place in the tournament’s final eight.
Final score
Arsenal 0
Barcelona 2
Arsenal host Barcelona in the first of their two fixtures in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Join The Roar from 6:45am (AEDT) for live scores and commentary.
Having been knocked out in the round of 16 in their last five Champions League campaigns, the Gunners face a real uphill battle against an in-form Barcelona.
After failing to score against Hull City in their last match, manager Arsene Wenger emphasised how important it is that his side take every chance they get against Barcelona.
“We’ll need great solidarity because we’ll need to defend well, and make the maximum of our possession, which we didn’t do today,” Wenger told Goal.com post-match.
After a 2-1 win over Las Palmas in their last fixture, Barcelona extended their unbeaten streak for the season to an incredible 32 matches. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar seem to be an unstoppable trio up front.
Barcelona are no stranger to Arsenal in the Champions League, knocking the London side out all three times they have faced them in the finals series of the competition.
The last time these two sides faced off was back in 2011, in a Champions League last 16 fixture, where Barcelona managed to score twice in the second half after Robin van Persie was sent off, taking the game 3-1, and 4-3 on aggregate.
Prediction
Barcelona have the talent to tear apart any side. Arsenal will put up a fight in front of their fans, but if they fail to find their shooting boots they could be in for a long night.
Arsenal 1 – 4 Barcelona
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